You Could Go As The Bone Lady
by Callieach
Summary: Halloweenfic. Tempe plans to avoid the costume party, but sometimes plans can go astray. My first Bones fic. BB, AH. Read and Review!


A/N: Well, here's my first stab at 'Bones' fanfiction. In case you're wondering, I did actually post this on LiveJournal on Halloween, but haven't gotten aroudn to posting it here until now. And to anyone who might be waiting for me to update other stuff: I'm so so sorry, and I swear I will as soon as something comes to me!

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I don't own 'em.

You Could Go As The Bone Lady

"What are ya looking at, Bones?"

Tempe wrinkled her nose. "Costume party."

"Ya, where you dress up in a costume and you don't know who anyone else –"

"I know what a costume party is, Booth. I'm not _stupid_." She turned her glare from the poster on the cork board to her partner.

"I wasn't saying you are, I just-" Booth blustered. "So, are you going?"

"Not if I can help it." Tempe said, turning on her heel and walking away.

"Why not?" Booth followed her.

"Because I don't want to."

"Common Bones, it'd be fun."

"Don't call me Bones." Tempe paused at the foot of the stairs and swiped the ID card at her belt. Booth continued to follow her.

"Okay, _Temperance_, why don't you want to go to the costume ball?"

The forensic anthropologist choose to ignore the FBI agent. "Zach, what have we got?"

"Skeletal remains found in a suburban area by a rock gardener. Caucasian, female, mid-twenties, approximately 5 feet, 7 inches." The young assistant answered, only looking up from the skeleton on the table for a moment.

"Rock gardener?" Booth asked, peering over Tempe's shoulder.

"Any apparent cause of death?" She asked, still ignoring him.

"I haven't determined whether these are post-mortem or not." Zach indicated where the neck, arms, and legs had been cut clean through.

"Personal affects?"

"None."

"Okay, keep on working on those cuts, and get the skull to Angela." Tempe patted her assistant on the shoulder as she walked by, headed to where a mass of curly hair and goggles were bent over a work table.

"Hodgins, is this the storage container case?"

Hodgins nodded his head once, goggles still on. "I've found some beetle exoskeletons, specific to New England. I'm analyzing the dirt now to get a more precise location."

"Narrow it down as best you can, I'll start on the skeleton." Tempe turned around. "Booth, why are you following me?"

"You won't tell me why you don't want to go to the costume party." Booth answered matter-of-factly.

"You're not going to the costume party?" Hodgins asked from behind Tempe.

"I don't understand why it's such a big deal."

"Angela would _die_ if you didn't go." Hodgins gave the word 'die' multiple syllables.

"Excuse me if I don't happen to believe that my best friend would die if I weren't in attendance of a pointless social event."

"Ange practically bribed the director to make it happen, and she's planned it all herself. You _have_ to go."

"How do you expect anyone to take you seriously when you're wearing those goggles?" Booth asked, earning glares.

"I don't want to go, so I'm not going." Tempe crossed her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Common, it'll be fun."

"It's physically impossible for me to have fun at a party."

"Don't say that, you could go as the Bone Lady." Booth teased.

"I'm not going."

* * *

"Cute costume, Bones." Booth had to shout over the music in the rented-out convention center.

"I hate you." Tempe might as well have mouthed it.

"Awww, common, you don't mean that."

"Yes, Seely, I do."

"But you _do_ have an awesome costume."

"It's Angela's."

"But, still."

"I feel ridiculous wearing it." She grabbed the end of the red tail pinned to the back of her dress and waved it to emphasize her point.

"The horns are kinda sexy." Booth waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I look like a hooker." Tempe replied evenly.

"Hot, yes. Hooker, no."

"Zorro, are you hitting on me?"

"Wow, you know who I am. Your knowledge of popular culture never ceases to amaze me." He might have been being sarcastic, it was hard to tell.

"Zach told me."

"He's the one dressed as C-3P0, isn't he?" Tempe gave him a blank stare. "From _Star Wars_? Big gold guy?"

"Oh, yes. That's Zach."

"Where are Angela and Hodgins?" Booth asked as "The Monster Mash" started playing.

"Why don't you go find them yourself?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Yes."

"It's not working."

"I realized that."

"Do you want to dance?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

Tempe gestured her hand up and down her ensemble, consisting of a short red dress, and not much else.

"It's Halloween."

"I don't care."

"I do." Booth grabbed Tempe's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

"Booth!" She exclaimed, stumbling in her red high heels. "No!" He wove them through their costumed co-workers until they were under the disco light in the center of the room. He let go of her hand and leaned towards her.

"And now you're going to have fun, okay?"

"Are you actually giving me a choice?"

"Nope." Booth replied before breaking into a weird dance, his cape waving around him. Tempe couldn't help but smile, one dance wouldn't hurt anyone.

"There, I danced to one song, I had fun, and now I'm leaving." She said at the end of the song.

"If you had fun, you shouldn't mind dancing this slow song with me." He held out his hand. She rolled her eyes but put one hand in his and the other on his shoulder. As he put his hand on her waist and pulled her closer, she couldn't help but notice how empty the dance floor had gotten once the slow song started. She looked around as they danced, and spotted Angela and Jack, her cat suit and his vampire costume making a funny pair. _Well, look at yourself. A devil dancing with Zorro,_ she thought with a smile.

"Look who Threepio's with." Booth told her.

"Look who's with who?"

"Zach." Booth answered. Tempe sought out her assistant. He was looking cozy with a girl dressed like Wonder Woman.

"Who's she?" Tempe asked, looking back at Booth and nearly knocking off his hat in the process.

"Not sure. We can find out after."

"Why does it sound like I'm involved in everything you are?"

Booth didn't say anything for a few minutes. "You know, Brennan, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."

Tempe grinned. "I try."

Within seven minutes of the slow song ending, Tempe knew everything she wanted to know about the social lives of her co-workers, and more. Zach had made a dinner date with Wonder Woman, Sharon Callahan, a brainy computer technician. Jack had asked Angela to a movie, then they kissed, and they're now "an item". At least that's what she understood from Angela's fast, excited, and slightly drunk conversation with her. After she had told Tempe all of this, she'd rushed off, saying she wanted to request a song.

Still smiling to herself over her best friend's enthusiasm, Tempe found herself a drink and an empty table in the corner. She sat down, took off her painful shoes, and began her one of her favourite anthropological tasks – people watching. Cam, dressed as a witch, was talking to Booth. She hadn't realized her boss was here, and she felt the all-too-familiar streak of jealousy. She reminded herself that she'd purposely distanced herself from him, and pushed the envy away, but it was still there.

Of their own accord, Tempe's blood-red nails (painting courtesy of Angela) started peeling the label off of her Sam Adam's ale. Why had she let herself be talked into this? She always hated social situations, but at least back when she'd been with Pete, she'd been able to fake it. Now she not only looked, but felt like a fish out of water. Or rather, a scientist out of the lab.

"Did it piss you off?"

Tempe looked up, startled. "What?"

Booth indicated the label shreds. "You destroyed the label. What did it ever do to you?" She answered him with a questioning look. "I was making a joke."

"I know. It wasn't funny. How's Cam?"

Zorro gave her a funny look. "She's fine."

"She didn't want to dance?" She wasn't quite sure what made her say that, but it wasn't logical to pick a fight.

"Why would I want to dance with Cam?"

"I thought you two were" she hooked her fingers into quotation marks "an item."

Tempe could tell Booth eyebrows furrowed, even behind his mask, but he didn't say anything. A new song started, and Tempe had an odd feeling it was the one Angela had requested. She remembered Angela agreeing with her that it was one of the best songs ever.

"'Thriller'. Wanna dance?" Booth asked. Tempe resisted the urge to say she was just going to ask him that.

"I don't know." Might as well make it hard on him.

"Common, Bones, even you must know the 'Thriller' dance."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tempe asked, sliding her shoes back on her feet.

"You're pop-culture challenged."

"Doesn't mean I was at my brother's high school parties." Tempe stood up and was halfway to the dance floor before Booth was standing up and following her. They made it to the floor just in time for the actual dance to start. Tempe found a spot next to Angela, near Hodgins and Zach. Booth took a place on her other side.

Tempe felt like laughing when they started dancing. It was such a cliché, everyone there dancing to an old Michael Jackson song, but it was fun. She was actually surprised to find she remembered all the steps. She was even more surprised when Booth messed up and she ran into him and tripped. He caught her elbow.

"Careful."

"Let go of me, I'm trying to dance." Tempe said with a coy smile, yanking her arm away from her partner and getting back in her spot beside Angela. Tempe glanced at her to get back into the dance.

"Falling all over Zorro, I see." Angela said the next time she was facing Tempe's way.

"At least I haven't spent my evening drooling over a vampire." Tempe laughed, and when they finished the dance, the five of them sat down at a table.

"You're smiling an awful lot for someone who doesn't want to be here." Hodgins commented to Tempe. She noticed how close he was sitting to Angela.

"Blame 'Thriller'." Angela said.

"Best dance ever." Tempe added, laughing. Angela started laughing along with her, and before long, their entire table was laughing.

"Okay, you guys are embarrassing me." Booth pointed at Tempe and Angela, who were laughing the hardest. "I'm going to get a drink. You guys want anything?" The table gave Booth their orders, and he left to get them.

"So, Zach, tell us about Wonder Woman." Tempe turned towards the young man sitting beside her.

Zach looked confused for a second, then, "Oh, Sharon. She's nice."

Three sets of eyebrows went up. Jack spoke first. "You ask her out while she is wearing magic bracelets and you are dressed like a robot –"

"Droid." Both Angela and Zach corrected at the same time.

"Whatever, and you say she's just _nice_?"

"She's not _just_ nice. She's pretty, funny, kind, and smart. She's perfect." Zach had a huge smile plastered across his face.

"Awww, I think our little Zacharonni's in love." Angela's face was fighting against something, but crying or laughing, it was hard to tell.

Fortunately, Zach was saved from answering by Booth's return. With drinks. After a while, Cam and Sharon joined their group.

An hour and a few dances later, Tempe was ready to go home. Booth trailing her like a lost puppy, she found Angela, and Hodgins, of course.

"Hey, Angela, are you leaving anytime soon?"

"The night is still young. Oh, I drove you, didn't I?"

"It's fine, you can stay, I'll call a cab."

"Sweetie, are you sure?"

"I can drive her." Booth volunteered. Tempe bit her lip, Angela nodded encouragingly.

"I don't want to bother you."

"It's not a bother." Booth replied quickly. "I'm tired, anyways." Somehow, Tempe doubted that.

"Sure." Tempe agreed reluctantly. She turned to Angela. "Drive home safe."

"I will, don't worry." Angela gave Tempe a quick hug. "And you be a good little devil." She flicked one of Tempe's horns with her finger.

"Trust me, I'll be good." Tempe paused thoughtfully for a minute. "I can't think of anything to say in regards to you dressing up as a cat."

"That's okay."

"Let's go." Tempe said to Booth, who nodded. Goodnight's were exchanged, then the couples parted ways.

"My jacket's at the coat-check." Tempe said simply as they walked away. Booth nodded and placed his hand on her back to steer her in the right direction. She tried to ignore the pleasant tingling that spread from where Booth's hand touched the skin that was left uncovered with the low-backed dress, but it was difficult.

They didn't talk the whole ride to Tempe's. He pulled his car in front of her building.

"Thank you for the ride, Seeley." She said politely, reaching for the door handle. Booth shut off the ignition.

"I'll walk you in."

"That's alright."

"I want to make sure you're safe." Tempe realized there was no point in arguing, so she let him walk with her to just outside her door.

"Are you trying to get invited in, Zorro?" There was a hint of a joke in her tone as she unlocked her door.

"That would be putting pressure on you, Bones."

"Good, because I really am tired. And you ruined your chances by calling me 'Bones'." Tempe made a sound somewhere near a giggle.

"Sorry, Dr. Brennan. I can do this, though, can't I?" Booth leaned down and caught Tempe off-guard with a quick kiss.

"Yes, you can do that whenever you want to, Agent Booth." She was feeling abnormally flirtatious and blamed the maneater red dress. Wearing the heels, she hardly had to stretch to initiate the next kiss, this one longer. "Actually, I think you just redeemed yourself." She opened the door.

Booth's eyebrows went up so far they would have been above the mask he had taken off. "Oh, really?"

Tempe smiled coyly. "Yes, really. So, would you like to come in?"

* * *

A/N: So? Good? Bad? Totally out of character? Waiting on all of your reviews!

Love,  
Callieach


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